Zara Stone

I recently heard about a new type of book called Flipbacks and am torn as to whether it’s a good idea or not. Essentially Flipback Books are regular books, read vertically- yes, vertically, and this means that they can be smaller (you need less paper for this) and lighter than regular books. You have to get your head around the idea of reading top to bottom, rather than side to side, and I reckon you’ll need some thumb retraining in page turning. All books weigh around 145 grams, which they tell us is a sixth of the size of a hardback book. I tend to read paperbacks so that’s not a completely compelling argument, but I’m still intrigued by these pocket sized books.

Pros of Flipback Books

They’re lighter. My bag is heavy enough, so having something less weighty is a big plus.

They’re smaller. Pretty much a repeat of Point one, streamlined is a definite plus.

One handed reading- and a spine that folds flat. Once you get the hang of reading this way it would be great for commuting- you can hold onto the train with one hand and read easily with the other.

Cons of Flipback Books

They’ll be strange to read. We’re trained to read a certain way, and though we’re capable of re-learning a skill (look at the Kindle’s popularity) it will still take some adjusting.

They have limited books on offer. This will change, but so far they do have a limited library of novels- though some bestsellers are included, such as Cloud Atlas and One Day.

-The price. Books vary in price, but Flipbacks seem to be a uniform £9.99 and that’s just too much. If they were more competitive- or had offers- I might consider this.